Bordeaux Tasting...yes, #2, no, #3, yes, definitely #2

I just got back from a lovely weekend in DC and stayed with the W's and their family. B and I go back to college, and at this point, I've known her husband R for over 10 years!

In honor of B's birthday, they hosted a 2005 Bordeaux tasting. 2005 was the year of their first daughter's birth. With my bottle in hand (actually, on the car seat to clarify), I hit the NJ Turnpike and headed south.

2005 was apparently a great year for Bordeaux. I picked up my bottle at the Chelsea Wine Vault in Chelsea Market, and was completely dependent on my salesperson. It's well known that this is a great vintage (well known after you reference a website or two!). I didn't realize that there are white Bordeaux wines, but didn't want to cause any problems for the tasting so stayed with the red. The term "Bordeaux" actually refers to the region in France and the wine is blend of generally made from a blend of grapes (including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cab Franc and Malbec).

With our official scorecards in hand, we started the tasting:

What a fun night. I think I liked #2 the best, but really they were all good and the company was great. R planned out a night of many little dishes: blue cheese sliders, grilled asparagus wrapped with serrano ham, garlic shrimp, and chocolate covered strawberries.

I think the W's came in with the most popular bottles, #2 and #3. Yes, that is right, I don't even know the names of the ones we liked! But he did pick them up at Wegman's, so you can ask the nice gentleman there.

Way Way South of the Border

We are going very south of the border, to Chile. It's winter here, but summer there, and will help us channel warm, sunny thoughts.

It's time for the Chacarero (it's cha-kah-re-ro). My love affair started over 10 years ago in Boston. Every now and then the team would make the decision that it was "Chacarero Day" and we'd rally for a trip to the chacarero at Downtown Crossing. The line was always long, there was no dilly dallying when it was your turn, and if you asked very nicely, you could get some extra roasted red peppers (thanks, Tim, for this hidden secret).

The Chacarero is a traditional Chilean sandwich on a circular bread (there is something special about this bread, I can't put my finger on it). Between the rounds are chicken (or steak), avocado spread, muenster cheese, tomato, steamed green beans, and special spices.

I was afraid I would never have another again (not really, but I hadn't found a spot to go in NYC)...

But then cam Barros Luco on E 52nd Street. I put it on my "must get to" list, and the day came when I was in that neighborhood.

I know it looks messy, but it is oh so good. Barros Luco adds a special tangy mayo sauce, and while I typically pass on anything mayo-ish, I heard it was lemony and tasty.

This is a sign that it must have been good. Lots of napkins and a clean plate:

Update: Just heard there was a big quake off the coast of Chile, as I write this post. It's all Chile today. Hope everyone is safe!

Location:

Barros Luco

300 1/2 East 52nd Street

NY NY 10022

Snow Hurricane?

More snow! This does not capture how wet, windy and miserable it is out there tonight. When the streets are covered in New York, you know it's bad. We were troopers thought and made the trek to the gym. The snow boots saved us, the street corners had about 3 inches of slush and water in some places.

Stay warm and dry out there!

Friday morning update: The snow never stopped! The streets are fully covered, which I never expect to see in NYC. Have snow boots, will travel!

Models and Dogs

We had a lot going on here in New York this weekend. Between Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year, President's Day, you would think we had enough. But oh, no! It is New York Fashion Week and the Westminster Dog Show. I have to admit, the dogs are cuter. The models actually look twiggy and scary in person.

First to Fashion Week. I was on a mission to get my mom's birthday present. Thus, the walking sneakers. It was a sprint up to 47th street and I was all about comfort:

I didn't fit in with the black and heels at Bryant Park, but had to stand long enough to get one shot. I did decide smokey purple eyes are in this year. Fashion tip from Jill, right there for you. This is the last year Fashion Week will be held at Bryant Park. It will be moving to Lincoln Center, after a 2 year search for a new venue. Apparently, it's grown too big for the park and will have more space further uptown. And additional underground parking, and 13,000 square feet of additional space.

I did see a few shows being set up in the larger galleries in Chelsea, which provide some interesting spaces.

If you are lucky, you'll get a peak of the dogs that compete in the Westminster Dog show around Madison Square Garden. This dog was following it's owner down the street (no leash even). I actually had to run a few blocks to catch up with them to get this shot. I have no idea what kind of dog this is, either.

It's a great mix here in New York, this weekend was no exception.

Crumb to Cake Ratio

The perfect crumb cake has an generous topping of crumbs and just the right amount of cake. I haven't found anything better than Zabar's Crumb Cake. Too much cake and it's just cake, and I'd rather have frosting.

I love crumb topping, streusel topping, all kinds of buttery crumbs. Zabar's has a firm crumb, but it's not so firm that you can't take a bite and get the perfect combination of crumb and cake.

It was so good we decided we really should have gotten two pieces. Early that afternoon I swore I only wanted a bit or two. Lesson learned!

O&Co - Fresh is Best!

It's nice to explore Grand Central Market on a Saturday afternoon. It's almost peaceful compared to the commotion after work during the week. We stopped in to get a sweet treat after a tasty lunch (that post to come this week). We decided on a cream cheese brownie before walking down to Penzy's for spices.

The next stop was O&Co (which is actually Oliviers and Co). I will admit that I'm a tad skeptical of this store. Do they really know olive oil? Is it all a gimmick to make me spend more money on expensive olive oil? So we casually asked the salesperson what's good and what oil he buys. And I was quite surprised when he said he goes to Tuscany once a year to crush olives and brings all of his oil back with him.

Nick is a "sommelier" of oil, if there is such a designation, and he gave a full lesson on olive oil. I have to admit, it was fascinating. Olive oil should be consumed when it is "young" and only a few months after the olives have been crushed. That's where you get the fresh, bright peppery flavor you may have tasted. Older oil is much more mellow and bland.

And olives from different regions impart different flavors. Mediterranean olives are fruity, oil from France is more buttery, and Italian oil is greener and peppery. O&Co gets oil from hundreds of places and then chooses which they will sell in their stores. And you can put in a call to them and they'll let you know when the fresh oil has arrived.

Nick is looking to go out to California where olive oil is in its infancy, almost like wine in the 70s. Over 99.9% of oil in the US is imported, so there is clearly room to grow American olive oil. Since it takes so long to grow the plants, the idea is to transplant them from Italy. Trees over 70 years start to produce quality oil, but over 1500 years old and the trees are past their prime.

Nick is working to get his certification in olive oil in Italy, after a series of tests and tastings. I will let you all know how my next olive oil purchase from O&Co goes! The Affiorato is in stores now, but we were told that the fresher oil is coming. Sadly, it won't be fresher than 1 1/2 months due to the shipping, but that might be just fine for our house.

Splenda, Sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup

I will admit that I have adjusted my food habits after watching Food Inc. Maybe it's the fact that I am getting older and more concerned with what goes into my body as well. I am certainly not a total health nut (I did have about 10 too many Hershey Miniatures at work one Friday afternoon). We were debating our last McDonald's experience just this weekend. I can pinpoint it to the day: Ocean City New Jersey, August 2009, the Southern Chicken Sandwich, while I waited for my parents to come pick me up. And before that? I really have no idea. I just can't remember it was so long ago.

My ongoing debate is how to reduce my Splenda intake. It can't be great for me. But maybe it's not so bad? So every few days the guilt gets me and I use Raw Sugar in my coffee or tea. When it comes to soda, it's now very infrequent and always diet. Which is why I couldn't bring myself to purchase the real sugar version of Mountain Dew and Pepsi that I saw this weekend. I just can't drink real soda. But I'm very against all the high fructose corn syrup (it's in everything!).

So I had to snap these pictures because I've read about it, but haven't seen it yet:

And if you need your caffeine as well:

Apparently, the real sugar versions are available for about 8 weeks (through February). I spotted these at Costco and Target. I typically try 95% of products I see or products out for a limited tim (Tim Tams at Target? I should have stocked up!). Since I don't drink regular soda, I'm not sure I would notice the difference. But I am curious.

Have you tried it?

Happy Birthday!

Birthday Day here, and in honor of our the two Capricorn birthdays in the house, we have the official

Red Velvet Boy Girl Birthday Cake.

It was all about the frosting, of course. We chose the cake around the cream cheese frosting. I will admit that we had the help of Betty herself, but made the frosting from scratch. It's funny because I talked to a good friend tonight and she agreed that the cream cheese frosting drives the cake choice. Red velvet OR carrot, both have the right frosting.

This is dedicated to all birthday cake lovers out there.

Still Cold - Off to T Salon

It's another cold weekend in New York which means more warm beverages! We only made it about 15 blocks south before we had to duck in for cover in the Chelsea Market. Way in the back there is a quiet little space where you can get a seat and sip your tea: T Salon.

Chelsea Market can be very busy, especially on the weekends. You are lucky if you can grab a table on the hallway through the market. Which is why we passed on the coffee shop for hot chocolate, we couldn't find a seat! With some soothing music and a pot of tea, you can settle in for a little bit of rejuvenation at T Salon.

The helpful staff any will open up any can and let you smell the teas before you make a selection. We settled on a jasmine tea (I love the smell of jasmine).

The T Salon is the first sustainable tea cafe and bar (yes, they have a selection of wine and beer as well). The Los Angeles location just opened, so now you can enjoy the T Salon on both coasts. The stores use bamboo, as well biodegradable or recyclable packaging (made of recycled paper and non-toxic soy ink). Corn plastic is used for all to go cups (I love these, we have them at work, and they are 100% biodegradable). Last but not least, many of the teas are organic.

Grab a little sweet nibble and settle into seats in the back of the store!

T Salon, Chelsea Market: www.tsalon.com

New Year - And More Cocoa

It's been cold here in 2010. Downright cold and blustery. But we are out and about people and love to go walking on the weekends. The wind and chill factor have really put a crimp in our "walkabouts", but we have managed to venture out a little closer to home.

On Sunday, we ventured down 9th Avenue for more hot chocolate. When I last posted in December I mentioned that I was going to taste my way through hot chocolate in New York. This is my 3rd official stop (and if it stays this cold, there will be more!).

Cocoa V is a vegan chocolate shop on 9th Avenue and 20th Street (very near Three Tarts) and is new to the neighborhood. It is a Chocolat Boutique and Chocolate Wine Bar with half the space dedicated to chocolates and the other half to seated service. We just dropped in for a hot chocolate and split a large one while we warmed up.

The waiter was very nice, let us take a seat and sit for awhile while we enjoyed out beverage. I wish I was able to snap a few shots of the cases of lovely chocolates, but I was trying to be discrete (I hate to be the blogger taking too many pictures). They looked delightful.

I am not particularly focused on living a vegan lifestyle (just wait for my Shake Shack post), but if it's good, I'll eat or drink it. This was the best hot chocolate yet, hands down. Very rich and creamy, with a hint of spice and homemade marshmallows. I think there was some cinnamon and cardamon. There is a spicier version so I may have to try that.

I have seen these types of marshmallows bagged and boxed at Whole Foods and specialty food shops, and wondered if they were really any different than a jet puffed marshmallow. I can report that they are in fact delicious!

The site is still under construction (they are very new!): http://cocoav.com/